Celeriac,CarrotandYoghurtSmoothnesswithSalt-CrustedPotatoes

I thought this would combine well with the salad theme for a simple but yummy veggie meal. In this recipe, potatoes are topped with a smooth veggie yogurt cream sauce for a healthy delicious treat. It calls for large baking potatoes, but you could roast potatoes, or make mashed potatoes or use any kind of potato you want and they would be delicious with this topping. From the website www.luculliandelights.com.

Clean but do not peel the potatoes. Boil them until half-cooked, about 10-15 minutes depending on the size.

Drain the potatoes before brushing them with olive oil and then roll them in salt. Put them in a oven-proof form and bake in a pre-heated oven 400°F for about 20 minutes.

While the potatoes are in the oven, dice the vegetables and steam until soft.Blend until smooth with a hand blender or mixer and let it cool down a bit before adding yoghurt, cream and parsley to it, mix well and check salt.

Cut the baked potatoes open and top with the cream. Serve warm or cold.

RootVegetableandMushroomPiewithRosemaryBiscuitTopping

One of our members, Susan Stock, emailed me this recipe that she came across on epicurious this past week. It makes use of so many vegetables we have sent out lately, and mushrooms too! Loads of room for substitutions here if you don't have each of the veggies the recipe calls for. The parlsey could be skipped. Reading reviews, many suggested doubling the garlic and rosemary for more flavor. Recipe by Jeanne Thiel Kelley for Bon Appetit March 2009.

For filling:Bring 6 cups water and bouillon base to boil in large pot over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve bouillon. Add carrots and next 5 ingredients. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Drain; reserve vegetables and broth.

RussianCabbageBorscht

If you have never made borcht, or thought perhaps you wouldn't like it, this recipe is worth a try. This is the recipe from the original Moosewood Cookbook and I have made it year after year and it never disappoints. It is rich, sweet, hearty, tangy, all at once. If you don't have the stock of celery, substitute some of your celeriac instead. Serves 4-5.

Place potatoes, beets and water (or stock) in a saucepan, and cook until everything is tender. Save the cooking broth.

Begin cooking the onions in butter in a large kettle. Add caraway seeds and salt. Cook until onion is translucent, then add celery, carrots and cabbage. Add the broth from the beets and potatoes and cook, covered until all the vegetables are just tender.

Add potatoes, beets and all remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer slowly for about 30 minutes. Taste to correct seasonings. Serve topped with sour cream and extra dill weed, if desired.

CeleriacRemoulade

Here's another from the Cook's Garden recipe. If you look up celeriac you often find a remoulade recipe, but I don't think I have put one in for nearly a year. In honor of the book and the celeriac in the share this week, I thought it might be nice for you all to be reminded of the option. This is like a cole slaw, but with a zesty celeriac twist.

Rinse barley and place in pot with the water. Cook until tender but not mushy.

In a large soup pot heat oil and add mushrooms, onions, garlic and ginger. Add vegetable stock. Add cayenne and tofu. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Remove 1 cup of the broth and mix with miso, stir into soup. Add braising greens. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add barley and scallions.

***Note: You can use some of the Gilfeather turnips or beets in this soup. Slice thinly and add them when you add the stock and cook until tender.

Arrange 1/3 of celery root slices in dish. Top with 1/3 of potato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then 1/4 tsp. nutmeg. Top with half of onion slices, half of garlic, then all zucchini, then half of cheese. Repeat layering 1 more time.

Preheat oven to 400F. Butter a deep dish pie plate. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium heat and saute shallots until translucent, but not yet browned, about 3 minutes. Set aside. Combine the remaining ingredients, including the 2 tablespoons of butter, in a large pot. Cover and place over medium-high heat.

As soon as the mixture boils, remove the pan from the heat and mix in sauteed shallots. Pour into prepared pie dish, smooth and cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for about 15 minutes more, until the veggies are tender, the top browns and the sauce bubbles thickly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Melt the butter in a wide large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables, thyme and bay leaf. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the vegetables smell good and there's a little glaze on the bottom of the pot, about 7 minutes.

Add stock to cover along with 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are soft to the point of falling apart, about 25 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree the soup so that it is a light green, with only a few chunks remaining. Pour in the cream, taste for salt and season with pepper. Stir in half the herbs.*

Toast the bread and cut each piece into halves or quarters. Divide the pieces among 4 bowls and cover with the cheese. Ladle the soup over the toast and cheese and serve garnished with a dash of sherry and remaining fresh herbs.

*If you don't have frozen versions of these from the summer, try mixing 1/3 of the amount called for in dry form into the soup while it cooks.

BreadedandFriedCeleriac

From Mark Bittman's cookbook, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, this process results in crunchy, yet tender celery root strips. Serve with the parsley pesto below. You can also try this procedure with winter squash served with a curried mayonnaise.

Set out three shallow bowls, next to each other in order, one with flour, another with eggs and third with bread crumbs. To bread celeriac, toss with flour, shaking off extra. Immerse in eggs, then toss to cover with bread crumbs. Set on a parchment-lined cookie sheet until all pieces have been breaded. Heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium to medium-high heat, so that oil reaches about 350F. Fry celeriac, allowing space between each piece, until golden. Flip and fry the other side, about 5-10 minutes total. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining celeriac. If you have a lot of vegetables to cook, keep fried vegetables warm in a 200F oven set on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes. Serve with parsley pesto.